


bonding time

by kinneyb



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: First Kiss, Future Fic, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24905062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinneyb/pseuds/kinneyb
Summary: “She sent me here to give you what you really need.”He turned to look at him, squinting. “And what is that?”Sokka winked. “A vacation.”
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 70





	bonding time

**Author's Note:**

> this is gonna be self-indulgent mindless bonding & fluff between my fav boys... hope at least someone enjoys  
> btw dont squint too hard bc this will not follow canon very much if at all; for reference they are both young adults & this takes place a few years after the end of the series
> 
> twitter: queermight / tumblr: korrmin

Zuko was not expecting a visitor when Sokka arrived, but he wasn’t complaining.

“Sokka,” he greeted, getting up from his throne. One nod at the guards and they left the room, leaving them alone. He stepped down and took the other man in his arms, lightly patting his back. “How are things?”

He pulled back, smiling. He looked the same for the most part. He had obviously grown a little over the last few years—he was a bit taller, and his face had thinned out—but there was no denying it was still the same Sokka.

“For me? Good.” Sokka pressed a finger to his chest. “For you, not so much.”

Zuko blinked once before smiling sheepishly. “You’ve been speaking to your sister?”

He had started writing Katara over the last few years, mostly for a way to vent. She always replied, even if she didn’t have much to say.

“Duh,” he replied, pulling his hand back. _Fair enough,_ Zuko thought, as if those two could go very long at all without communicating. Katara complained about Sokka in her own letters, but she also praised him just as much. “According to her, a certain Fire Lord has been working himself to death.”

Zuko opened his mouth, but the words—“I’m fine”—caught in the back of his throat, because it was true. Since taking the throne, things hadn’t been easy, but he had assumed things would become easier over time. Spoiler: they hadn’t.

He was exhausted, and he knew Sokka could see that by the way his eyes kept flickering to the bags under his own eyes, or his hollowed cheeks.

“Things are—hard, yes,” he admitted, clearing his throat and tugging his cloak down, dressed in his more casual clothes. “But I am managing, as I told your sister. Don’t tell me she sent you here to scold me?”

Sokka grinned, big and dopey. “Of course not,” he said breezily, spinning behind him and grabbing his shoulders. Zuko tensed—he had a right to; his life had been targeted more than once since taking the throne—briefly before forcing himself to relax. Of all the people he trusted, Sokka was top of the list. “She sent me here to give you what you _really_ need.”

He turned to look at him, squinting. “And what is that?”

Sokka winked. “A vacation.”

Zuko blinked at him. “You’re joking,” he said dryly. Sokka just continued to grin at him, eyes sparkling. Zuko turned, his hands falling from his shoulders. “Sokka, I am Fire Lord. I can’t just—”

“But your family did,” he interrupted with a hint of hesitation. “You had vacations as a child, right?”

Zuko stared at him. “Yes,” he answered gruffly, “but that was a long time ago and things are different now. I need to be here. I have to make sure—”

“You have to make sure you take care of yourself,” Sokka interrupted, gripping one of his arms. Not too hard, but not too gentle. Sokka always had known how to handle him. Zuko waited silently, knowing he wasn’t finished. “If you work yourself to death, who will take care of things? Who will be Fire Lord? Help Aang?”

Zuko wished he didn’t have a point. He lowered his eyes to Sokka’s hand. His skin was a stark contrast against his own. “I would need to leave someone in charge in my place, and I don’t have anyone I can trust.”

His father certainly wasn’t an option, and Azula hadn’t gained his trust back just yet.

“Oh,” Sokka smiled almost shyly. It was a new look for him. “I might have taken care of that.”

Zuko blinked once, not understanding, before the doors opened again and he turned, expecting to see the usual helmets and red armor, but—“Uncle!” he exclaimed, rushing over to him. He looked as good as he had last seen him, which was months ago. Iroh hugged him, tight, rubbing his back. “Wh—what are you doing here?”

“What do you think?” he asked as they separated, smiling. “Sokka explained his plan, and I agreed.”

Zuko turned around, still not understanding. “What plan?”

Sokka stepped forward. “Iroh will take your place while you’re gone. He’s the one person you—all of us—can trust.”

“How honoring,” Iroh said with a huff of laughter. He patted his nephew’s back. “Go, have fun while you still can. You need it.”

Zuko glanced between them, mouth twisting. “But you were adamant,” he argued. “You wanted nothing to do with this, and—your shop; can you stay away for that long?”

Iroh rolled his eyes fondly. “I can,” he assured him. “I do have employees, you know.” Zuko flushed a little, ducking his head. Iroh silently nodded at Sokka and he nodded back, taking a few steps back, giving them a bit more privacy. Stepping forward, Iroh grabbed both of Zuko’s shoulders, squeezing lightly. “You need a break,” he said bluntly. “You are young, Zuko. You deserve to still have a youth, even with your responsibilities.”

Zuko lifted his gaze. “But—” His eyes flickered over to Sokka, pointedly looking away and whistling. “With him?”

It wasn’t that he disliked Sokka, not even a little bit. He considered him family, like all the others, but they weren’t exactly the closest. He would say he was closer with Aang or even Katara. Iroh squeezed his shoulders again and he looked back, startled by the grin on his uncle’s face.

“I actually think he is a perfect fit for you,” he said, eyes twinkling.

Zuko’s cheeks warmed again, mostly only visible on his right side. He harshly cleared his throat. “You do?”

“Of course,” he replied, releasing his shoulders and smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. “He is your opposite in almost every single way.” Iroh eyed Sokka. “Loud, rumbustious, funny—”

Zuko pursed his lips. “Hey.”

Iroh laughed wholeheartedly. “Don’t kid yourself, nephew,” he said fondly. “You have many good qualities, but your humor is lacking.”

He would’ve argued if he thought he had a leg to stand on. But his uncle was right; he hadn’t been gifted with a good sense of humor. Sue him. Shaking his head, he turned toward Sokka. “Fine,” he said. “But I’ll need a couple days to pack.”

Sokka beamed, grinning wickedly. “Good; make sure you pack lots of blankets. Oh, and a jacket.”

Zuko narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“No reason,” he replied breezily. “Just to be safe, you know. Traveling can be _so_ unpredictable. And sadly, we are stuck doing it the old-fashioned way.” He sighed, hands on his hips. “Aang can be _so_ selfish, you know that? Wouldn’t even lend Appa out for, like, a week.”

Zuko smiled slightly. “Well, Appa is his beloved pet, Sokka. What did you expect?”

“And _I’m_ his beloved friend,” he retorted, folding his arms over his chest. “Doesn’t that count for something?”

Iroh let out a hearty laugh and nudged his nephew. “And your beloved _uncle_ is starving.”

“Right, yes, of course,” Zuko replied, looking over at him with a too-serious expression. “Must’ve been a long travel, and—”

“Don’t pop a blood vessel about it,” he interrupted, turning toward the doors. “ _Especially_ when the solution is such an easy one,” he added with a wink over his shoulder. The doors opened, revealing the long hallway.

Zuko exchanged a look with Sokka, smiling sheepishly. “I’ll show you to your room after supper.”

“The Fire Lord doesn’t have to go out of his way to mingle with a commoner,” he joked, rushing over to join him as they walked down the hallway, Iroh a few steps ahead of them. Zuko’s eyes flickered to the sword on his back. Sokka was a special case, that much was certain, because very few people were allowed near him with a weapon.

“No boomerang?” he asked with a frown.

Sokka sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. “It was only a matter of time,” he said, “but I finally lost it. For good.” At Zuko’s expression, he continued solemnly, “Like, _bottom of the ocean_ good.”

“Oh.” Zuko stiffly reached out and patted his back. “Sorry. I know you really liked it.”

Sokka snorted. “A boomerang is a boomerang; I can replace it.”

But there was no missing the tight pull around his mouth. Zuko looked ahead, mind already racing.


End file.
